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School is starting and NASA’s Earth Observatory has resources for children and teachers!

Payloads Confocal Space Microscopy: The crew removed optical lenses from the Confocal Space Microscope hardware. The Payload Control Box Hard Drive was also reconfigured for the Confocal Space Microscope. The Confocal Space Microscope (Confocal Microscope) is a JAXA facility that provides fluorescence images of biological samples aboard the International Space Station. Confocal microscopy uses spatial …

Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner spent a full day after the holiday weekend on investigations that will help demystify the effects of space on the human body, as well as some routine maintenance tasks to ensure the health of the International Space Station — now …

Payloads Astrobee: The crew performed various localization and mobility operations for the Astrobee satellite.  This was performed in support of the upcoming Kibo Robot Programming Challenge.  The Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Robo-Pro Challenge), also known as Kibo-RPC, allows students to create programs to control Astrobee, a free-flying robot aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This …

Payloads NREP Hardware Remove: Following the extension of the slide table into the JEM pressurized volume and removal of NREP from the slide table, the crew removed External Platform Module-7 (Craig-X) and External Platform Module-12 (Astrileux) from NREP.  NREP was then placed back on the slide table and will be returned to its external location. …

This month spot the Moon together with Mars and Venus, along with the flickering star Fomalhaut, which had itself a planet…until it didn’t! Check out the video below produced by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to learn more.

The three-person Expedition 63 crew focused its attention today on Japanese science hardware and Russian cardiac studies. The International Space Station trio also serviced air conditioning and plumbing systems. The Kibo laboratory module from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) enables a multitude of space science taking place both inside and outside the orbital lab. Kibo …

Payloads EXPRESS Rack Relocation:  Following the relocation of EXPRESS racks 8, 10B, and 11B, the crew mated the umbilicals, adjusted the flow control valve, and assisted with the initial checkout of EXPRESS rack 11B.  EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Racks are multipurpose payload rack systems that store and support research aboard the …

Teams from NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and prime contractor Northrop Grumman successfully completed the Flight Support Booster-1 (FSB-1)  ground test at Northrop Grumman’s test facility in Promontory, Utah. Watch a replay of the test on NASA Television or NASA’s YouTube channel. Learn more about the test at https://www.nasa.gov/media/flight-support-booster-test.html

Final systems checks for NASA’s Space Launch Systems (SLS) Flight Support Booster-1 (FSB-1) test are complete and the test conductor has given the ground test a “go.” The test fire is scheduled to begin at 1:05 MDT, 3:05 p.m. EDT. Watch the FSB-1 test live on NASA Television or the agency’s website.